Be a Part of the Art: Fairfield Mosaic Project

A community functions like a large mosaic. Each individual member possesses qualities that make him or her unique, but when they come together, they have the power to achieve something beautiful.

Using this metaphor as the inspiration behind their latest recruitment initiative, Fairfield University’s Office of Undergraduate Admission and Marketing and Communications Department have partnered with the creative minds from the social media company Luster, to launch a digital campaign that will welcome the Class of 2021 into Fairfield’s community in a unique and interactive way.

From now until November 29, University students, alumni, faculty and staff are being asked to showcase their “Stag Spirit” by posting or retagging Fairfield-inspired photos on Instagram using the hashtag, #stags21. On November 29, Luster will collect and print each publically posted photograph that features the hashtag and will work alongside members of the campus community to piece them together into a large photomosaic in the Barone Campus Center. The process will be filmed from start to finish and highlighted in a Class of 2021 admission video that will welcome students as the newest pieces in Fairfield’s community mosaic. Students will then be invited to complete the project by adding their photos during the Office of Admission’s Admitted Student Open Houses in April.

“We want the members of the Class of 2021 to feel the strength and vibrancy of the Fairfield community,” explained Karen Pellegrino, Vice President for Enrollment Management. “We believe this exciting collaboration between Luster, our own exceptional marketing team and individual members of the Fairfield family will make this message immediately apparent to students in a fun and unique way.”

The mosaic project marks the second time the Office of Undergraduate Admission has partnered with Luster on a digital initiative. The two teams first joined forces in 2015 on a hashtag-generated Polaroid campaign for the Class of 2020, which was so well received, Fairfield decided to take their partnership to the next level by joining the ranks of major companies like Live Nation, McDonald’s and Target, who have previously collaborated with Luster on the creation of Instagram-powered mosaics.

The success of Fairfield’s mosaic project relies heavily on the involvement of the University community, which is why the Office of Undergraduate Admission has enlisted the help of Alumni Relations, the Office of Student Engagement, Academic Affairs and Fairfield Athletics to spread the word, build momentum and encourage their constituents to participate. Photographs using the hashtag, #stags21 must be posted on Instagram by November 28 to ensure that the mosaic is completed with the most important pieces of Fairfield University’s story, its remarkable students, faculty, alumni and staff.